BF2S Forums Laptop graphics

7800 mobile, perhaps?

Entertainment as in games? Or just movies and photos?

Entry Level
Performance/Mainstream
High-End

(Listed in Ascending Order in terms of power)
Current DX9 Mobile Chips -
X1300, X2300, X1400, X1450, X1600, X1700, X1800, X1900 - ATI Mobility Radeon
7300, 7400, 7600, 7700, 7600GT, 7900GS, 7800GTX, 7950GTX -Nvidia Geforce Go

Current DX10 Mobile Chips -
8400m G, 8400m GS, 8400m GT, 8600m GS, 8600m GT, 8700m GT - Nvidia
Still no laptops available right now with DX10 support. However, some notebooks in the near future will have the X2600, and another variant of the X2600 with more power. (X2600XT?)

Current Integrated Graphics -
Intel GMA 950
Intel X3100 - Currently the best out of these 4
Nvidia 6150 Go
Radeon Express X1### (usually 1150, 1250, 1200, etc.)
Of these 4, the X3100 is the best, but still is very weak compared to a dedicated GPU. The GMA 950 is just plain horrible. But at least you get a lot more battery life.

It's important to note that:
1. The X1800 and the X1900 are very rare to find in any notebook so for the most part, forget about these
2. The high end cards will only come in notebooks with a screen size of 17"+; the heat generated from these cards cannot be cooled effectively in a smaller frame. As such, you're going to be paying a lot extra to get this option.
3. The X2300 and (I think there is a X2500) the X2500 are NOT DX10 cards. The X2300 is basically a slightly more efficient X1300, and the X2500 is supposed to be a more efficient X1700.

Now, if you're planning on getting a notebook for casual usage, ie Internet, word processing, photos, movies - get Integrated Graphics or an entry level card.
1. Less heat
2. Longer battery life
3. More portable (usually comes in smaller notebooks)

If you're planning on doing some light gaming - Performance/Mainstream.
1. Best of both worlds - less heat, capable graphics power
2. Comes in mainstream sized notebooks - 14" - 15.4"

If you're going to be doing some more hardcore gaming and don't mind being plugged in - High End.
1. Best graphical power
2. Biggest Screens
3. But, you'll have to be plugged in a lot. A lot of heat and power consumption. Battery Life is subpar.

For 1000-1200 Euros, you should look into notebooks with the aforementioned Performance chips. Oh and since you'll be carrying it around (I think) from work to home, the 14-15.4" should be pretty portable with decent graphics power.

Last edited by Smithereener (2007-07-23 09:19:45)

Alright then, here are a few suggestions:

Your location says Germany, so I configured a Dell 1520 (on the German version of the site) to these specs:
Processor - T7300 2.0Ghz
OS - Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Screen - 15.4" WXGA+ (1440x900) (Glossy screen)
RAM - 1024MB 667Mhz RAM (2x512MB) (This is where you upgrade it yourself. Changing out RAM shouldn't void a warranty and it's relatively easy and cheaper)
HDD - 160GB 5400RPM (Changing this shouldn't void a warranty either, but if you want to upgrade to a 7200RPM drive you should check first. Swapping out a HDD is somewhat easy also.)
Graphics - Nvidia 8600m GT 256MB DDR2 (Very capable card, should play all games right now somewhat well)
Total - 1.101,29 €

Google Conversion states that 1200 Euros equal roughly $1650.

The Asus F3SV-A/B1 cost $1500 and $1600, respectively. The biggest difference, if not the only, is the increased processor power (2.0 compared to 2.2) on the B1 (T7300 on A1, T7500 on B1). It's got a 8600m GS, which is less powerful than a GT, but still a very capable card. You'll have to upgrade the RAM to at least 2G though, it comes with only 1G. I've seen some benchmarks where a GS with 3G of RAM scored equally with a GT (although the GT only had 2G).

There are few more Asus models coming in August/September, the V1S(15.4"), V2S(14"), and the F8S(14"). The V-line of notebooks are business notebooks which means better build quality, but comes at a higher price tag. The official prices aren't out, but there is some speculation that the prices will be around $1600-1800. One variant of the V1S is to come with a 8600mGT while a cheaper one will come with a 8400mGT. The V2S will come with a 8600mGS and has a price tag of $1700-ish (I think). The F8S will probably be under $1600-$1700 and will come with either a X2600HD(?), which will probably perform at around the 8600m GS performance level, or a 8600m GT.

Here are some brands that might pique your interest:
1. Dell - Very nice lineup of laptops. Not exactly cutting edge design, but is of great value.
2. Asus - Really good looking laptops IMO with pretty decent parts overall. I really like the V2S tbh.
3. HP - Their DV line is actually very successful; while not having the greatest parts, the build quality and the price is what appeals to people. Their business lineup is actually very nice too.
4. Zepto - Have heard pretty good things about them, but unfortunately don't know too much since they are a European based company.

theDude5B wrote:

got this information from this web site http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39568

says

Low end Laptop graphic cards
Nvidia GeForce Go6200
ATI Mobility Radeon X300
Nvidia GeForce Go7200
Nvidia GeForce Go7300
ATI Mobility Radeon X1300
ATI Mobility Radeon X1350
ATI Mobility Radeon X2300

Mid-range laptop graphic cards
Nvidia GeForce Go6400
ATI Mobility Radeon X600
Nvidia GeForce Go7400
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
ATI Mobility Radeon X1450
Nvidia GeForce 8400M-GS

Performance laptop graphic cards
Nvidia GeForce Go6600
ATI Mobility Radeon X700
Nvidia GeForce 8400M-GT
Nvidia GeForce Go7600
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
ATI Mobility Radeon X1700
Nvidia GeForce Go7700
Nvidia GeForce 8600M-GS
Nvidia GeForce Go7600GT
Nvidia GeForce 8600M-GT

High-end laptop graphic cards
Nvidia GeForce Go7800
ATI Mobility Radeon X1800
Nvidia GeForce Go7900GS
ATI Mobility Radeon X1900
Nvidia GeForce Go7800GTX
ATI Mobility Radeon X1800XT
Nvidia GeForce Go7900GTX
Nvidia GeForce Go7950GTX

what my brother said!